BHUBANESWAR: With the Omicron variant driving the third wave, Odisha recorded 7,071 new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday posting a significant growth of 46 per cent (pc) over the previous day and the biggest single-day spike in over seven months. With the surge in new infections for the last few days, Odisha was among seven states and UTs that have been fuelling the country’s caseload. As many as 7,395 cases were registered on June 5 last year.
The fresh infections including 707 children below 18 years were spread across all districts. The daily case count crossed the first wave’s peak within a week of the ongoing third wave. The daily test positivity rate (TPR) jumped to 10.2 pc from 6.5 per cent a day ago. A total 69,018 tests were conducted during the period. According to the Health department dashboard, 12 districts reported more than 100 cases each and seven districts were worst hit with cases ranging from nearly 200 to over 2,000.
The Covid hotspot Khurda reported the maximum 2,226 new cases, followed by 1,147 in Sundargarh, 609 in Sambalpur, 505 in Cuttack, 201 in Mayurbhanj, 198 in Balasore and 190 in Balangir. Other districts that have registered over 100 cases are Puri, Jharsuguda, Jajpur, Ganjam and Koraput. With the highest TPR of 22.82 pc, Sundargarh topped the chart.
An analysis by the Health department indicated that most of the new infections was among the unvaccinated 19-40 years age group. The state has registered 27,637 cases in the first 10 days of the month. While 3,042 children below 18 years were infected since January 1, the number of youths infected would be at least six times more. The state reported one death after two days of zero casualty taking the toll to 8,469. The active cases rose to 26,464.